Which black tea makes the best iced tea? I've read that the big tea
companies (Lipton, etc.) select teas that stay clear rather than turning
cloudy when iced, when they sell teas labeled "for iced tea." What teas
might those be?

I don't like flowery scented teas. And by iced tea, I don't mean southern
"sway tea." I like good old yankee unsweetened iced tea. I'm looking for a
good flavored loose black tea that will produce the very best clear, strong,
iced tea. Any ideas?

Thanks,

--Rich

Upton has a list of teas that they've specially selected for iced teas,
They seem to concentrate on the black, strong, and not too nuanced tea
for iced tea. I won't be going back to iced tea till April, I think.
Toci
Rich wrote:
> Which black tea makes the best iced tea? I've read that the big tea
> companies (Lipton, etc.) select teas that stay clear rather than turning
> cloudy when iced, when they sell teas labeled "for iced tea." What teas
> might those be?
>
> I don't like flowery scented teas. And by iced tea, I don't mean southern
> "sway tea." I like good old yankee unsweetened iced tea. I'm looking for a
> good flavored loose black tea that will produce the very best clear, strong,
> iced tea. Any ideas?
>
> Thanks,
>
> --Rich

"toci" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> Upton has a list of teas that they've specially selected for iced teas,
> They seem to concentrate on the black, strong, and not too nuanced tea
> for iced tea. I won't be going back to iced tea till April, I think.
> Toci

I drink it year-round. The high here was 86f yesterday. It won't be more
than a few degrees lower in January. Thanks for pointing me at Upton. Their
"TB49" looks interesting. I'll probably make my own blend, though.
--


--Rich

Over the summer, I went through half a pound of Tentea's Lychee Black
tea in it's iced form. http://www.tentea.com/lycheeblacktea.html

-Drew


Rich wrote:
> Which black tea makes the best iced tea? I've read that the big tea
> companies (Lipton, etc.) select teas that stay clear rather than turning
> cloudy when iced, when they sell teas labeled "for iced tea." What teas
> might those be?
>
> I don't like flowery scented teas. And by iced tea, I don't mean southern
> "sway tea." I like good old yankee unsweetened iced tea. I'm looking for a
> good flavored loose black tea that will produce the very best clear, strong,
> iced tea. Any ideas?
>
> Thanks,
>
> --Rich

Rich > wrote:
>Which black tea makes the best iced tea? I've read that the big tea
>companies (Lipton, etc.) select teas that stay clear rather than turning
>cloudy when iced, when they sell teas labeled "for iced tea." What teas
>might those be?
>
>I don't like flowery scented teas. And by iced tea, I don't mean southern
>"sway tea." I like good old yankee unsweetened iced tea. I'm looking for a
>good flavored loose black tea that will produce the very best clear, strong,
>iced tea. Any ideas?

Try one of the Uva-grown Ceylon teas. Very strong and robust, they hold
up well to icing. If you must have something in bags, try PG Tips. Who
cares if they get cloudy? You want tea that tastes good, not tea that looks
good.

Also, the Malawi BOP from Upton's ices nicely.
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

Rich wrote:

> Which black tea makes the best iced tea? I've read that the big tea
> companies (Lipton, etc.) select teas that stay clear rather than turning
> cloudy when iced, when they sell teas labeled "for iced tea." What teas
> might those be?

Rather than a specific tea, I'll recommend a simple method for getting
crystal clear iced tea - cold steeping. I do it a gallon at a time
like this:

Save a gallon plastic milk jug when empty. Rinse thoroughly. Put
loose tea leaves into jug. Fill with cold water (if your tap water is
tepid, have it pre-refridgerated). Put in fridge to steep for 8-12
hours. At the end of that time, strain out leaves. Done. Tea is
beautiful and tastes great.


Randy

"Studio271" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> Over the summer, I went through half a pound of Tentea's Lychee Black
> tea in it's iced form. http://www.tentea.com/lycheeblacktea.html
>

That's fine, except I don't like scented/flavored teas. For that matter, I
don't like flavored anything; tea, coffee, potato chips, crackers, etc. Take
a tip from the produce department. You won't find any fruits trying to taste
like tea, or potatoes trying to taste like cheese or sour cream or barbecue
sauce or ranches. I do like lychee, though, It's grown here in Hawaii. One
of my co-workers makes a dynamite lychee cheesecake.
--


--Rich

Recommended websites:

http://www.ratbags.com/rsoles
http://www.acahf.org.au
http://www.quackwatch.org/
http://www.skeptic.com/
http://www.csicop.org/

"Scott Dorsey" > wrote in message
...
> Rich > wrote:
>>Which black tea makes the best iced tea? I've read that the big tea
>>companies (Lipton, etc.) select teas that stay clear rather than turning
>>cloudy when iced, when they sell teas labeled "for iced tea." What teas
>>might those be?
>>
>>I don't like flowery scented teas. And by iced tea, I don't mean southern
>>"sway tea." I like good old yankee unsweetened iced tea. I'm looking for a
>>good flavored loose black tea that will produce the very best clear,
>>strong,
>>iced tea. Any ideas?
>
> Try one of the Uva-grown Ceylon teas. Very strong and robust, they hold
> up well to icing. If you must have something in bags, try PG Tips.

No, I must have something that's not in bags. The Ceylon sounds right,
though. Searching through the vendors for iced tea recommendations, it seems
Ceylon teas are a common thread. As hot teas, the few I've tried seem rather
one dimensional, but maybe the complexities of the Darjeelings, Keemuns, and
Yunnans would not come through when iced.

> Who
> cares if they get cloudy? You want tea that tastes good, not tea that
> looks
> good.

Since iced tea is served in clear glasses, the appearance is a factor, but
now I'm thinking maybe clarity is more dependent on method of preparation
than on variety.

>
> Also, the Malawi BOP from Upton's ices nicely.

Thanks,

--Rich

"RJP" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> Rich wrote:
>
>> Which black tea makes the best iced tea? I've read that the big tea
>> companies (Lipton, etc.) select teas that stay clear rather than turning
>> cloudy when iced, when they sell teas labeled "for iced tea." What teas
>> might those be?
>
> Rather than a specific tea, I'll recommend a simple method for getting
> crystal clear iced tea - cold steeping. I do it a gallon at a time
> like this:
>
> Save a gallon plastic milk jug when empty. Rinse thoroughly. Put
> loose tea leaves into jug. Fill with cold water (if your tap water is
> tepid, have it pre-refridgerated). Put in fridge to steep for 8-12
> hours. At the end of that time, strain out leaves. Done. Tea is
> beautiful and tastes great.

I've done it with tea bags. I'll try it with better tea.

Thanks,

--Rich

Recommended websites:

http://www.ratbags.com/rsoles
http://www.acahf.org.au
http://www.quackwatch.org/
http://www.skeptic.com/
http://www.csicop.org/

"Rich" > writes:

> "Scott Dorsey" > wrote in message
> > [...]
> > Try one of the Uva-grown Ceylon teas. Very strong and robust, they hold
> > up well to icing. If you must have something in bags, try PG Tips.
>
> No, I must have something that's not in bags. The Ceylon sounds right,
> though. Searching through the vendors for iced tea recommendations, it seems
> Ceylon teas are a common thread. As hot teas, the few I've tried seem rather
> one dimensional, but maybe the complexities of the Darjeelings, Keemuns, and
> Yunnans would not come through when iced.

I'm afraid you're going to have a hard time getting complexity out of
a beverage that's iced. Maybe you should consider brewing a good tea
at room temperature, possibly for 15 minutes as a rule of thumb? In
hot weather, it won't make you feel any hotter, and you sometimes get
a surprising, creamy mouth feel due to lower astringency than with hot
water brewing.

/Lew
---
Lew Perin /
http://www.panix.com/~perin/babelcarp.html
recently updated thanks to an eminent RFDT lurker: Dong Ting

Rich > wrote:
>"Scott Dorsey" > wrote in message
>>
>> Try one of the Uva-grown Ceylon teas. Very strong and robust, they hold
>> up well to icing. If you must have something in bags, try PG Tips.
>
>No, I must have something that's not in bags. The Ceylon sounds right,
>though. Searching through the vendors for iced tea recommendations, it seems
>Ceylon teas are a common thread. As hot teas, the few I've tried seem rather
>one dimensional, but maybe the complexities of the Darjeelings, Keemuns, and
>Yunnans would not come through when iced.

A lot of the overtones are totally lost when the tea is iced, and even
the tannic flavour changes completely.

Try drinking some of the cheap yellow-box Jasmine tea... I know you aren't
a fan of scented teas, but try it as an experiment. It's got some jasmine
nose to it, and it's got a sort of tannic flavour underneath, but not much
else. It's not a very complex tea.... but try icing it and see what happens.
The tea that wasn't very complex has now become even less complex. The
tannic flavour that balanced the floweriness is gone, the jasmine has lost
most of the scent and turned into a single very simple flavour that is vaguely
reminiscent of pancake makeup. It's totally different when iced.

Ice a good yunnan tea, and the tannic flavour that kept it rich is greatly
reduced, while the cidery flavour is enhanced. The overall effect is pretty
nasty.

Darjeelings don't taste _bad_ per se, when iced. They just don't taste much
at all... they taste like water with a little grass in it, maybe. It's not
offensive in any way, but it's a terrible waste of expensive tea.

If you want to ice a tea, it needs to start out very tannic and with a very
thick and robust sort of taste, but without too much bitterness up front.
Anything with light and flowery tastes is going to lose them completely when
it's iced, unless they start out very heavy-handed indeed.

>Since iced tea is served in clear glasses, the appearance is a factor, but
>now I'm thinking maybe clarity is more dependent on method of preparation
>than on variety.

The clarity is due to dissolved protein. Fining it with isinglass or a little
gelatin might help, although it seems like a lot of work for something you
are going to drink anyway.
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

snip snip snip

[Lew]
> I'm afraid you're going to have a hard time getting complexity out of
> a beverage that's iced. Maybe you should consider brewing a good tea
> at room temperature, possibly for 15 minutes as a rule of thumb? In
> hot weather, it won't make you feel any hotter, and you sometimes get
> a surprising, creamy mouth feel due to lower astringency than with hot
> water brewing.

While you are going to have a hard time getting complexity, you will
certainly get flavor, and flavor and relaxation on a hot day is what you're
after presumably. A strong Formosa Oolong never failed me ever, and Keemun
will do just as well. Make 'em strong and add the ice. Yummers.

On the green tea front, I take my cold iced water in a thermos -- the kind
that provides a screen to keep tea leaves out of your mouth -- and add some
leaf. I use lesser Long Jing, but any will do. Then, let the tea brew slow
as you travel about sipping, and refill as required. I'm not sure about room
temperature, but my way works with refrigerator-cold water. Just adjust the
amount of leaf, and don't use premium expensive teas since you lose the
aroma and some of the nuance this way.

BTW, I've brewed Lew's way with teas that prefer a really low temperature
and found the method just fine. Bi Lo Chun is a good example of a tea that
responds well to this.

I've spoken, and that's it for me.

Michael

@ Rich. I can see this convo has gone a bit off-topic to your first
question by nice people trying to help out. Let's stay on your first
question. Most of the better to best quality varieties of camelia
senensis globally share one unique feature - they "cloud" in the
liquor. Senior tea professionals will acknowledge this fact in a
heartbeat, if you can find any who meet the criteria of being a
seasoned veteran with a minimum of 25 years in the trade of which at
least 5 were spent at origin managing tea estate(s) or who have had
interests a tea selling brokerage in the growing origins with weekly
tea auctions (the Mombasa & Colombo auctions essentially "make" the
weekly world tea export market).

That spoken, the invention of "clear-liquoring" iced tea made from raw
tea leaves is 100% a marketing tactic that plays on people's psychology
that "clear" means "good" - a wrong fundamental assumption in tea. If
you are comfortable getting past this marketing tactic and happy to
drink cloudy iced tea like most tea professionals do (but won't
acknowledge publically), I recommend you buy your great teas directly
from the tea estates that make the best. Directly means directly, not
thru small American or European houses like Uptons etal who are getting
their raw product fifth or sixth hand. Go to http://www.dilmahtea.com
and study their "t-series" and "watte" original garden lines. Take a
selection that suits you best from the descriptions, pay in the normal
online fashion on their secure servers & your tea will arrive at your
home by DHL or FedEx within an equal or even shorter time period of
time than if you buy it here online from an American online provider.


When brewing black tea, whether for drinking hot or for icing down to
drink as iced tea, there are no shortcuts to getting the maximum
brilliant liquor that any top quality tea has to offer naturally. Bring
TAP water (not bottled) to a roiling boil, pour it on your tea leaves,
leave steep for 5 minutes, decant the liquor from the leaves and
enjoy. It's as simple as that. So far as tea paraphernalia, this too is
frequently marketing nonsense. A teaspoon was thus named because it is
an excellent approximation of a perfect weight of tea to make a single
cup. For more leafy varieties, making it a heaping teaspoon. For
smaller leaf denser tea grades (grade means size in tea and has nothing
to do with quality), use no LESS than a proper teaspoon fill.

Hope this may assist.

-jd

On Oct 12, 11:39 pm, "Rich" > wrote:
> Which black tea makes the best iced tea? I've read that the big tea
> companies (Lipton, etc.) select teas that stay clear rather than turning
> cloudy when iced, when they sell teas labeled "for iced tea." What teas
> might those be?
>
> I don't like flowery scented teas. And by iced tea, I don't mean southern
> "sway tea." I like good old yankee unsweetened iced tea. I'm looking for a
> good flavored loose black tea that will produce the very best clear, strong,
> iced tea. Any ideas?
>
> Thanks,
>
> --Rich